UK video-on-demand (VoD) pioneer Yes Television has appointed Randall Cox and Greg Young to head up its Asian operations after securing one of five pay-TV licences for Hong Kong that were handed out by the local government last month (Screendaily, July 5).

Cox has been named president of Yes Television Asia and will sit on the main board of the company's UK-based parent Yes Television plc. He was formerly managing director of investment company, the Lombard Asian Private Equity Company.

Young, who was most recently a regional director with IBM's Global Services division, joins Yes Television Asia as director of operations.

Analysts are divided over the viability of several pay-TV operators surviving in the relatively small Hong Kong market but Cox said he is confident that Yes Television will capture 25% of the broadband-related entertainment service market.

"Sceptics might worry about demand from the tiny [Hong Kong] pay-TV market, but I think our business model is different from most of our competitors," said Cox. "We will not simply be a pay-TV operator like Galaxy or Star TV. We are a content aggregator that sees TV as a convergence platform."

Yes Television is already operational in the UK and Ireland and is gearing up to launch VoD services in Hong Kong, the Philippines, France, Norway and Iceland.